OCEANSIDE — A 2,000-foot section of the 44-mile Rail Trail from the San Luis Rey River in Oceanside to the Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego has received SANDAG funding and can now move forward with its design process and construction.
The planned section of the trail lies on the west side of the railroad tracks between Oceanside Boulevard and Wisconsin Avenue.
SANDAG will foot the bill for $369,000 in trail design and just under $1.46 million in construction with monies from Transportation Enhancement Funds and TransNet Sales Tax Funds.
Patches of the Rail Trail are already constructed including Oceanside sections from Broadway to South Myers Street and Oceanside Boulevard to the Oceanside Transit Center.
The Oceanside stretch of the Rail Trail has been split into different construction phases due to trail length, permit timing, other construction projects and funding delays.
Construction of the newest section of the trail is expected to be completed by the end of summer, according to the SANDAG website.
The Rail Trail is a Class I bike path separated from vehicular traffic.
It is part of the Regional Bike Plan. SANDAG staff said the bigger vision is a regional bike network. The end goal is to provide connecting bike trails throughout the county.
